Washing machine



WASHING IACHINE FiledvJuly 22. -1922 5 `Sheets-Sheet l Jbhn J.' Graden.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 John J.' Gyra J. J. GRODEN WASHING Mmmm Filed July 22,- 1922 Degl, 1925. 1.564.136

` J. J. GRooEN v sind ummm:

filip@ July 22. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet Jahn J.' Grm.

1,1925. 1,564,136 J. J. GRODEN WASHING MACHINE Filed 'July 22, 1922 5 sheets-sheet s so a7? WIM Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

AUNITED STATES J'OHN J. GRODEN, OF PHIILADEIQPHA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WASHING MACHINE.

Application filed July 22, 1922. Serial No. 576,827.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN J. GRODEN, a citizen of United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania,l have invented new and useful Improvements in Washing Machines, of which the following is a specifica tion. i

This invention relates to laundry apparatus', particularly to washing machines, and has for its object the provision of a novel electric motor driven combined rotary and oscillatory washer and wringer.

An important object is the provision of a machine of this character in which the moving parts are all enclosed within a cabinet, the wringer structure being also capable of being swung into position within the cabinet so as to prevent children or others from starting the mechanism and catching their hands in the wringer structure.

Still another object is the provision of a changeable drive whereby a rotary cylinder or oscillatory tub may be used by making a simple adjustment.

A further object is the provision of drive means provided with a control whereby the tub may be oscillated Or the cylinder rotated at different speeds depending upon the nature of the articles being washed.

A further Object is the provision of a washing machine in which the tub or cylinder, as the case may be will be lifted up by a suitable control device to permit draining and to bring the tub or cylinderclose to the wringer to make it unnecessary for the op- I erator to stoop over to gain access to the clothes and thus run the danger of catching the hair or clothing in the wringen Yet another Objectis the provision of a. device of this character in which the wringer is provided with control means whereby it may be held inoperative or be driven in either direction, the wringer structure being, furthermore, capable of rotatable swinging movement to be disposed at any desired location.

A still further object is the provision of novel means engageable with the floor for lifting one end sufciently that the casters will be out of engagement with the fioor or other surface in Order that the device may be prevented from rolling accidentally.

An additionalobject is the provision of aymachine' of this character which will be simple and inexpenslve 1n manufacture, easy yto control and adjust, positive in action, ef-

icient and durable in service and a gener-'al `improvement in the art.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken fromthe Oppositeside to Figure 8 andshow'ing the drive mechanism, n T l Figure ,5` is a horizontal section through the drive mechanism taken on `the line 5-1-5 of Figure 4,

portion of Figure 6 is a detail sectional view of the i releasinglmeans for the cylinder trunnions, Flgure 7 1s a detail sectional-view of the means tor raising the casters of of thev floor.

Figure 8 is a detail sectional view' showing the means for raising the` rotary cylinder or oscillatory tub,

Figure 9 isa detail sectional view through aportion of the wringer drive mechanism,

and

` Figure l0 is a detail sectional view.

Referring more particularly to the drawings I have shown my device as comprising a rectangular frame constructed preferably of angle iron and'including legs V15 and f l upper and lower cross bars 16.l The legs and bars have lsecured thereto metal sheathing 17 which may 'be held in place by flush rivets,fby spot welding or the like. This structure defines a rectangular casing open at the top and bottom. The Open top is reinforced internally by an angle iron member 18 which provides securing means for some of the elements of the device'. One

side of the casing is provided with a hinged door 19 having a handle 20 and which may be lopened to give access `to the mechanism to be described. Y

The top of the case or cabinet is designed to be closedby aremovable'covering 2l 1;,

which will operate to prevent dust and dirt from settling on the device when it is not in use but of course this cover' must beremoved when the device is being used.

Located within the casing and supported from the angle iron` 18 is a tub 22 which has its bottom semicylindrical in shape and this tub is provided at its lowermost point with a suit-able drain cock 23 by means of which the water may be drained out into a receptacle or through a. pipe 24. `Secured withii'i the device are upwardly ext-ending guides `25 within which are slidable, as Well as rotatable, trunnions 26 and 27 carried by the ends of a rotary vcylinder 28. This cylinder is perforated throughout its peripheryas shown at 29 and has a portion thereof 30"removable whereby to give access to the interior for placing clothes therein or removing them therefrom.

The drive mechanism is constructed as follows: Mounted upon ay suitable support 31 at the bottom of the device is a suitable electric motor 32 having its shaft 33carrying a worm 34 which meshes with a worm wheel 35 on the lower end of a vertical shaft l36 'which'has its upper end portion journale'd'in a bearing 37 located at one upper corner of the Vcabinet and which has its intermediate portion journaled through bearings 38 'on a frame 39`which is mounted transversely of the main frame of the device. vithin the frame 39 the shaft 36 carries a worm'40 which meshes with a worm wheel 41.0n a short shaft'42 which lcarries y large vand 'small :gears 43 and 44 respectively.` Journaled at a point spaced from the shaft 42 is a similar shaft 45 uponfwhichv are rotatable' gears 46 and 47 meshing always with the gears 43l and 44 A respectively. The confronting' faces of these gears carry clutch faces 48 and 49 respectively. .Splined upon the central portionofthe shaft 45 is a grooved collar 50 provided with rclutch faces 51 and 52 adapted to engage with 'either of the clutch faces 48andL49"respectively; Ijprovide ,an arm `53 `carried `by "a shaft 54 and terminating in ra fork V55 which Aengages kwithin 'the grooved collar 50 forthe purpose of shifting thecollar lengthwise to bring the clutch face 51 into engagement with lthe clutch 'member A48l for operating the machine at high gear. or for bringing the clutch face 521-"int`o'engagement with the'v clutch member 49'for vthe purpose of operating the machineat'low speed. The control shaft 54 is provided'with a suitable handle 56 by means of which the gear shifting may be accomplished. One projectingv end of the shaft .45 carries a crank arm 57,y which is formed with'a slot '58for a purpose to be described.

able and rotatable through the frame 39 in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the cylinder is a sha'ft 60 carryingan angular extension 61 normally engaging within the socket 59. Splined upon this shaft 60 and prevented from shifting ,movement by the sides of the frame 39 is a. gear 62 with which meshes a segmental gear 63 carried by a shaft 64 upon which is secured a crank arm 65 on the free end of which is pivoted, at 66, a block 67 through which passes a rod 68 carried by a pitman 69 which carries a bolt 70 adjustably mounted at a selected point within the slot 58 of the arm `57. Located at opposite sides'of the `block 67 are shock absorber springs 71 held in place as showny .and which are for the purpose of vcushioning the shock whenthev pitman 69 swings the crank arm 65 back .and forth so as to avoid damage tothe mechanism.

The shaft 60 projectsbeyond the frame .39 and carries agrooved collar 72'engaged vby a fork 73 on one end of a lever 74 which is pivoted intermediate its .ends as shown atV 75. i Slidable through one side of the cabinet,

c above one corner of the door 19 "is a con-trol button or plunger 76 which is connected with the upper end of the 'lever174 for the purpose of rocking the same to withdraw the shaftv extension 61 from the socket 59 so that the cylinder may be raised when desired by the means ,to be described.

Located within the casing at 'opposite ends of the cylinder are levers 77 terminating in handles 78 and. pivotedl .as at' 79.

These "levers ,are formed with cams 8O which 'cabinet and further includes a ygear *box 82 and ran'upstf-anding frame 83 which carries the wringer rollers 84. The usuall guide plates 85 are vassociated `with this roller fraineand 1 further provide a .tension device y86 for loosening'the tension on the rollers in case such is' excessive `or toogreat `to permit a certain individual article topass between the rollers."Ak The rollers are equipped with the usual gears ywhich inter'- mesh.

The lupper end ofthe ower 'shaft 36 after passing through throug the bearing l37 at the top of the cabineteX'tends into the gear l box 82 and carries a beveled gear 87. The drive shaft 88' 0f; the wringer mechanism carries a sleeve 89 'splined thereon and carrying two opposed beveled gears'90 and -91 selectively engageable with the gear 87. The

sleeve89 formed with a peripheral groove 92 within which engages a forks93 carried by a shaft 94 having a control handle 95. By disposing this handle 95 at its intermediate position both gears 90 and 91 will be out yof mesh withthe gear87 and by shifting this lever 95 in one direction or the other'either of the gears 90 or 91 may be meshed with the gear 87 for driving the wringer rollers in either direction.

The rotatable' adjustablemounting of 'the wringer consists of a depending sleeve or hub 96 which is rotatable within the bearing 37 and which is engaged by a spring pressed plunger 97 which extendsk outside of the casing or cabinet and which is for the purpose of frictionally holding the en'- tire wringer structure in a selected rotatably adjusted position.

A very important feature is the means by which the wringer structure is permitted to be swung down so as to be enclosed by the cover 21 when the latter is placed in position. To accomplish'this the frame 83 of the wringer is pivoted upon the shaft 88 and carries a spring-pressed plunger or locking pin 9 8 which engageswitliin a suitable notch 99 in the top of the gear box 82 for holding the wringer frame in normal or upright position.` By withdrawing the pin 98 from the notch 99 the wringer frame may be "rotated upon 'the shaft 88 and be disposed in a horizontal position as shown by full lines in Figure 3.

It is to be observed that the supporting legs 15 of the casing are equipped with casters 100 which will facilitate moving the device from place to place. However, it is advisabley to provide means for preventing this rolling action and holding the device stationary. In accomplishing this I provide adjacent the front legs of the device suitable frames 101 within which are vertically slidable posts 102 which have their lower ends carrying bearing feet 103 engageable with the floor. These posts are normally urged downwardly by coil springs 104 which encircle their upper ends and which bear against the underside of the tops of the frames 101 and against collars 105 on the posts. The means for moving the posts upwardly consists of a cam 106 pivoted on each post and having a projecting handle 107 operating through a slot 108 in the frame. Each frame further carries a bracket arm 109 engaged by the cam head so that when the cam is swung down the engagement of the head thereof with the bracket 109 will canse the post 102 to be forced up against the resistance of the spring 104. It is of course conceivable that this mechanism might be duplicated at each leg of the device though it is believed that two of such units will be entirely sufficient to effect the purpose.

Instead of providing the device withthe tub 22 and perforated cylinder, Imay omit the tub and use an oscillatory tub such as that shown in Figure 8.` This type of tub 110 is not purely cylindrical and is 1mperforate but is provided with a removable cover member 111 which maybe removed when placing clothestherein or removing them therefrom. i p

In the operation it will be seen that when the motor 32 is in motion the shaft 36 lwill be consequently driven and will operate the wringer whenever the lever 95 is thrown to engage either of the gears 90 or 91 with the gear 87. If desired the wringer may be left inactive by moving the lever 95 to neutral The rotation of the shaft'36 of y position. l course is imparted to the shaft 42 and through either of the gear-s 43 and 460i' 44 and 47 to the shaft 45 dependingupon which way the lever 56 is shifted. If the lever 56 is in intermediate position with the sliding clutch sleeve 50 out of engagement with both of the clutch elements 48 and 49 the motor will run idly and the shaft 45 will not be driven. Vhen, however, the shaft 45 is driven at the selected speed depending v upon which gears are meshed, the rotation of the arm 57 will cause longitudinal movement lof the pitman 69 and swinging of the arm 65 which will result in back and forth movement of the segmental gear 63. When the gear 63 moves, its engagement with the pinion 62 will cause rotation of the shaft 60, the angular extension 61 of which fits Within the socket 59. By this means it will be seen that the cylinder 28 or the tub 110 whichever is used, will be given rotary movement in one direction and then in the other which will result in thorough agitation of the clothes and water. In case the stationary tub 22 and perforated cylinder 28 are used it is -obvious that the water within the tub 22 will pass through the perforations 29 into the cylinder and thoroughly act upon whatever clothes may be therein. In case the tub 110 is used the water is contained therein together with the clothes and the effective action will be the same in either instance.

After the clothes have been washed sufficiently and it is desired to remove them, the operator presses the plunger 76 to withdraw the shaft extension 61 from the socket 59 and then swings the lever 78 whereupon the cams 80 thereof riding under the trunnions 26 and 27 of the cylinder or the tub as the case may be will cause the cylinder or the tub to be moved upwardly along the guides 25 so that draining may be effected. The cylinder will then be in convenient position so that the clothes may be removed therefrom in a safe manner and with very little effort, the proximityA of the tub or cylinder to the wringer facilitating the running of the clothes through the Wringer lnechanism.V A.The various safety :features have been mentioned yduring the course of ,the general desoriptionand it' isl believed that a suficient explanation thereof .has been givenA Without it being necessary to repeat.

i From the foregoing ldescription and a study vof the .drawings it vWill be apparent l,that I have thus provided a lsimply constructed Washing ina-chine.1a-:11d` -Wringe-r which will be lpower drivenand which is provided with every conceivable speed control, safety device `and other advantageous features so as to produce in one machine all the advantages Which lmay .be possibleto incorporate to insureeificiency and ease of operation together With maximum strength ,and durability. lVhile I havefshown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes inthe form,

construction and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit-of the invention or :the scope of the subjoined claims.

' Having thus described my invention I claim;

:1. Ina Washinggmachine, a. casing, guides mounted at opposite sides thereof, an oscillatory Clothes container having tru-nnions slidably fand rockably mounted Within said guides, -means detaohably engaging one trunn'ion lfor:oscillating the oscillatory container,

andy means for raising Ythe oscillatory container -alongsaid guides, -said ,means yconsisting lof levers pivoted Within the easing and havi ng cam portions engaging said trunnions.. f v A.

2. ,In awashi-ng machine, a casing,l.guides mountedat the lopposite sides thereof, van .oscillatory .clotheseontainen trunn'ions on 4said ycontainer 'and slidably and rockably mounted in said guides, Aa substantially L- shaped lever pivotally mounted within said leasing and hav-inga cam portion. enga-ging one ofsaid trunnions .for raising the clothes container upon movement ,of the yrlever in .one direction.

3. In a Washing mounted at the .opposite` sides thereof,A an oscillatory clothes lcontaiaierf-trunnions .on said container and slidably and rookably mounted in said guides, a. substantially L- shaped lever pivotally mounted within said vcasing andA having a cam portion `engaging one of `said trunn-ions lfor raising the .clothes container upon movement of the lever i-n machine, a casing, guides one direction, said ,substantially L-shaped f.

lever being provided with a recess at the tenminus of fsaid cam for :receiving theftrunn-ivons to hold .the container in ,raised position.

f In testimony whereof I aflix -my signature.

JOHN J. .GRODEN 

